David O. Stewart: Impeached

Author and historian David O. Stewart discusses his new book Impeached: The Trial of President Andrew Johnson and the Fight for Lincoln’s Legacy on Wednesday, June 10, at 6:30 p.m. at the Central Library, 14 W. 10th St.

Impeached traces the trial of President Andrew Johnson to its roots in the social and political revolutions that rocked the South with the end of slavery and the Civil War. As president after Lincoln’s assassination, Johnson, a Tennessee Democrat, not only failed to heal the nation’s wounds but rather rubbed them raw, ignoring widespread violence against the freed slaves and encouraging former rebels to resume political control of the Southern states.

Impeached challenges traditional thinking, which portrays Johnson as pursuing Lincoln’s legacy by showing leniency to the former rebels. Impeached shows the compelling reasons to remove this unfortunate president from office, reveals the corrupt bargains that saved Johnson’s job by a single vote, and credits Johnson’s prosecutors with seeking to remake the nation in accord with the ideals that Lincoln championed and for which the Civil War was fought.

Admission is free. A 6 p.m. reception precedes the event. Click here or call 816.701.3407 to RSVP. Free parking is available in the Library District Parking Garage located at 10th and Baltimore.